ORIGINS: UNIVERSE, LIFE, HUMANKIND, AND DARWIN

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We debate origins of the Universe, life, Earth, humans, religion, atheism, using common sense, evolution, cosmology, geology, archaeology, and other sciences, to repel biblical creationism and other religious beliefs.

Its premise is over-exaggerated, even if it wasn't horribly flawed. And its premise is simplistic and flawed, in its treatment of the factors that contribute to intelligence.

You can translate the metaphor into other areas, though.

A more serious issue is the spread of memes, with nut-jobs like the Duggars pumping out 19 kids and passing on their fucked-up, fundie-Christian memes to their children. On our side, we have people like TNT666 not having any children, when I think she'd do a much better job of raising contributing members of society, were she so inclined.

The bright point in that is that we're siphoning off members of the religious community, into our number. The internet and the increased spread of scientific information is helping with that. We've got almost no attrition due to children from secular families becoming religious, later in life, since religiosity requires childhood indoctrination, which they're not getting.

Hell, we've got at least one of the Phelps clan who's gone secular, so maybe we can pick off a couple of the Duggar children, if they ever receive sufficient outside education ... although, I admit that's doubtful, considering that they're all home-schooled.

All that aside, Idiocracy is a fairly amusing movie. I wouldn't put it on any list of greats, but it's worth watching.

Science writer Matt Ridley and Douglas Kenrick, worry that reproductive patterns favor greater population growth among those “…who harness the human capacity for superstition and panic.” In essence, the dumb, who can’t reason as well, are outbreeding the smart, threatening “…the triumph of faith over reason.”http://bigthink.com/risk-reason-and-reality/edge-big-thinkers-miss-...

Madhukar, I have been reading your writings and I highly recommend them for a good solid background on atheism and its roots. Your quotes accurately reflect the authors' intent, and your organization makes reading flow ... indeed you are creating a "page turner".